Reds: 3 internal replacements should Nick Castellanos opt out of his deal

3. Aristides Aquino could replace Nick Castellanos as the Reds right fielder.

Aristides Aquino is not the same player Reds Country fell in love with during the summer of 2019. It looked like, heading into the 2019-2020 offseason, that Aquino would be the starting right fielder for the Cincinnati Reds in 2020. But, Nick Castellanos fell into the Reds’ laps, and Aquino was forced to serve as a role player.

Aquino’s numbers since September 1st of 2019 are dreadful. The Punisher is hitting .185/.279/.376 with 16 home runs, 68 wRC+ and a 34.4% strikeout-rate. For comparison’s sake, Aquino hit .320/.391/.767 with 14 home runs, 183 wRC+, and a 22.6% strikeout-rate in August of 2019 when he took home Player of the Month honors.

Now, defensively, Aquino may be the absolute best internal replacement for Nick Castellanos. Aquino accounted for 2 DRS in 2019 while playing in right field and 1 DRS this season. The Punisher has deceptive speed and certainly has the arm to play right field.

Aquino is an easy player to root. He signed as an international free agent in 2011 at the age of 17, climbed up slowly through the minor league ranks, and was, at one time, non-tendered. Aquino had a breakout season with the Louisville Bats in 2019 and parlayed that into a major league call-up after the Reds dealt away Yasiel Puig.

Aristides Aquino feels like a rotational outfielder at best. I could easily envision a scenario in which David Bell platoons Aquino and Tyler Naquin in right field next season, with The Punisher getting the majority of at-bats versus left-handers. That said, Aquino’s hit just .190 off left-handed pitchers this season.

Nick Castellanos has said that a lot will go into his decision about whether or not to opt out of the two years and $34M remaining on his current deal. However, there’s a chance Castellanos could take home a four-to-five year contract with an average annual value of $20M per season.